by Scott Goss

A group that represents some of the state’s biggest philanthropists is teaming with a trade group for the local nonprofit sector to services available to Delawareans.

The two organizations say they plan to develop a “data resource” that will help both sides better understand the services being provided and gaps in those efforts.

The Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, a group that represents about 330 nonprofits in the state, and the Delaware Grantmakers Association, a forum for the people, foundations and corporations that support many of those nonprofits, say they hope to complete the project by mid-2017.

The portal is expected to include a database of nonprofits in Delaware, along with financial information, program missions and outcomes.

The final product will allow nonprofits and donors to identify potential partners with similar missions, serve the same population and focus their efforts in the same geographic area, all to “facilitate increased collaboration and possible mergers in the sector,” according to a joint release from the two groups.

The need for such a database reportedly emerged during DANA’s 2015 annual conference where more than 120 attendees identified a need for greater collaboration, consolidation, common metrics and tools for better allocation of resources.

The push for a unified resource comes just months after dozens of nonprofits escaped cuts in state funding, a last-second reprieve that is not likely to be repeated in 2017. At the same time, major corporate donors, such as DuPont Co., are shrinking their presence in the state.

The data resource project is being funded by grants from Discover Bank and Capital One.

ComassRed Data Labs, a Wilmington-based data analytics firm, will lead the initial design phase.

Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, [email protected] or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.